I am always searching for the interesting topics on the jewelry history subject. I looked here and there and found (somewhere) a mention of the mustard seed jewelry. It looked like granulated jewelry at the first glance, so I did not expect to find a story behind it... At least a story of granulation that would be different from the one I have already written in my blog here.

Symbolic "mustard seeds" can be represented with the tiny gold granulation in the jewelry pieces. However, there is a wide variety of jewelry pieces that contain actual mustard seeds. FYI, the seeds look like tiny yellow spheres 1-2 mm in diameter.

Why do people want to wear the mustard seeds? The mustard seeds are a symbol of faith, as they are mentioned in the Bible a few times. Those tiny little granules grow to become a tree that is up to 20 feet tall and 20 feet wide. It also grows in dry hot weather. The mustard seeds are the best symbols of faith because of this. You can read more about it in wikipedia.

It looks like the mustard seeds have become a jewelry trend about two hundred years ago during the Victorian era. However, they were most likely worn in the glass vials before. The next time they have become popular was the 1940 's during the World War two, when people needed a strong symbol of hope. The mustard seed jewelry stayed popular till the 1960's.

It is not a big fashion trend now. However, the mustard seed jewelry will always be popular among people who like jewelry with the meaning. It is still a symbol of hope, faith and good luck. You can find many designs to chose from, either modern or vintage.